Maitland To Hold Line On Tax Rate

MAITLAND — As promised, city council members will not charge residents a higher property tax rate next year.

Council members on Monday tentatively decided to charge residents $4 for every $1,000 of taxable property value -- the same as last year.

However, the same rate does not mean residents will see the same tax bills. The rate is almost 6 percent higher than what the city could have charged to collect as much tax money as last year. Because property values have increased, the city could have imposed 3.78 mills.

The city plans to collect $7.7 million in revenues, including property, sales and utility taxes. It will spend more than half of that to pay city employees. It will use the rest of the money to pay for operating expenses, new workers, projects and equipment.

For a Maitland homeowner who owns a home assessed by the Orange County property appraiser at $100,000, the tax system will work this way:

After subtracting the $25,000 homestead exemption, the homeowner would have $75,000 of taxable value. Last year, that homeowner paid $300, or $4 for every $1,000 in taxable value.

This year, that homeowner's house may have increased in value about 5 percent, or $5,000. With a taxable value of $80,000, the homeowner this year could pay $320.

Last year, City Manager Marilynne Davis said she planned to hold the city's property tax rate steady for three years, until late 1991.

Even without boosting the tax rate, the city expects revenues to increase over the next two years when new developments begin paying taxes.

The city council will hold two public hearings on the new tax rate and next year's recommended budget that will take effect Oct. 1. The first is scheduled for 8 p.m. Sept. 6 in city hall. The second is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 12.